Flooring system having joinable tile elements, particularly plastic tiles

ABSTRACT

A floor covering system comprising plastic tiles provided with coupling parts made of lower receiving openings for separate connector members by which the tiles are easily joinable and separable and are resistant to high separation forces. The system may include smaller modular tiles so that it is possible to lay out a flooring with integrated markings of lines, letters, figures or symbols.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system of plastic flooring tiles andof the type, in which single tiles are designed as slightly resilientuser friendly flooring members to be laid out on hard floors, with thetiles being adapted to be joined edged to edge by interengaging couplingmembers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A flooring system of the aforementioned type is disclosed in, forexample, DK-C-155,616, in which it is possible to achieve a veryeffective coupling of the tiles by special projecting coupling partswhich can be brought into engagement with complementary coupling meanslocated retracted from the single side edges of the tiles.

While it is no doubt possible to obtain a rigid coupling between theproposed conventional tiles, though in a rather difficult mannerconditioned by a pronounced resilient flexibility of the tiles and/orrather high efforts for establishing the locking engagement, it has beenfound as a considerable drawback that the coupling parts may be brokenwhen the tiles are subjected to external forces and, consequently, therelevant tiles will have to be replaced as they will be without anyholding connection with neighboring or adjoining tiles.

This is mainly explainable by the fact that climate conditioned heatingand air conditioning of the floor will produce different degrees ofassociated expansion and contraction of the layers constituted by therigid support surface and the plastic tile layer thereon, respectively,whereby, for example, a relative contraction of the tile layer willimply large pulling forces in the coupling parts integrally associatedwith the tiles. The coupling parts may be constructed correspondinglyheavily but then without overcoming the associated productional problemsrelating to a desired minimization of the material consumption of thecoupling parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the present invention the viewpoint is adopted that it isuneconomical to secure the tiles, generally, by making their couplingparts extremely heavy and resistant, as it will then be better to usenon-integrated coupling parts, which, when breakage might occur, areeasily replaceable, while it is also endavoured to make it easier toeffect the coupling of the tiles.

According to the invention use is made of tiles, the side edges of whichare provided exclusively with receiver portions for separate couplingmembers, whereby these coupling members may consist of relatively smallunits for interconnecting the tiles. In cases where these units arebroken it will be sufficient to mount new coupling members, without anychanging out of the tiles themselves, whereby, for obvious reasons, arequired repair will be much less expensive to carry out.

It has already been proposed to use separate coupling members betweenthe tiles, but only in a manner such that the tiles would be difficultto join, and for the invention it is a further objective to provide asolution, whereby the coupling is easy to effect, inter alia in a mannersuch that the tiles may be premounted with coupling members on one pairof sides, such that these coupling members are readily engageable withthe complementary sides of other tiles. By such a premounting the tileswill appear as full-cast units and yet be easy to mount, while theadvantage is maintained that the coupling members will still beseparately replaceable in case they should be broken by the displacementforces.

Against this background the invention provides for coupling memberscomprising a cross connector part having widened head portions of bothends thereof, while the tiles, along their side walls, are shaped withslots extending upwardly from the underside of the tile adapted toreceive the cross connector part, while behind these slots, the tilesare provided with vertical channel portions for receiving the headportions in such a guided manner that an inserted coupling member thatis upwardly into the channel portion will be held therein by a lightclamping or snap lock action and will thus be stabilized in a position,in which the coupling member from the tile edge by half the length ofthe cross connector part, such that the projecting portion of thecoupling member is ready to be connected with another tile by a relativemovement, whereby the projecting part of the coupling member isintroduced upwardly into the slot and channel portion of the other tilewith the tiles located and thereafter locked in anedge-to-edge-position.

Hereby, for the laying of the tiles, it can be chosen to let the alreadylaid-out tiles appear with the projecting coupling members at their freeedges, whereafter further tiles can be added by a simple laying down, asby such a laying down edge to edge the complementary tile sides willenter into a locking engagement with the projecting portions of thecoupling members. Inversely, the tiles may easily be separated at anydesired place by a simple lifting of one tile edge from the neighboringtile edge.

Neither the edge slots nor the channel portions will need to extend upto top side plane of the single tiles, i.e. the tile top sides mayextend all the way out to the edges of the tiles without being broken bythese details.

For the invention it is a further aspect that a set of tiles maycomprise not only the regular main tiles, e.g. with a size of 25×25, butalso a selection of smaller tiles having a side length of a suitablemodular fraction, e.g. 5 cm, of the side length of the main tiles andprovided with coupling parts that will make these small tiles suitablefor being mutually coupled together and and with the main tiles by thecoupling members.

With the use of such further, smaller tiles in the flooring systemseveral important advantages will be achievable. Thus, it will bepossible to establish a floor covering along walls which are notperpendicular to each other or, by way of example, along arched pooledges, whereby it is possible to use smaller tiles having the samegeneral appearance as the main tiles.

Alternatively, however, it may be chosen to make use of small tiles thatwill appear entirely different from the main tiles, e.g. by having apronounced deviating color, whereby in the main tile flooring it will bepossible to `draw` areas or lines of a fundamentally permanentcharacter, e.g. in connection with floorings in sport courts. Such linesmay particularly easily be rectilinear, but they can also be arched, andit will thus be possible to arrange the entire flooring with signs andsymbols, e.g. for indicating floor numbers and escape route arrows onoff-shore units or ships, where a corresponding floor painting will notbe particularly durable. Likewise the flooring may be laid out with logopictures, e.g. on large exhibition areas. The relevant markings will beso to speak indestructable, but if desired they can be easily removed orchanged without any need of breaking up larger parts of the flooring.

According to the invention, a corresponding marking possibility may beachieved in another or an additional manner, namely when the tiles areof the type provided with holes in their upper stepping layer, e.g. witha center distance of of 2-5 cm a holding pin portion a button shapedcover member may be inserted in the holes, and these cover members maythen be mounted in any desired pattern on the flooring, just as they canbe mounted and removal without any interference with the flooringitself. With a center distance of 2.5 cm there will be one hundred holesin tiles measuring 25×25 cm, and thus it will be possible to work with arather high degree of dissolution in the pattern. The bottons may beproduced in many different colors, but the same will apply to the smalltiles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following the invention is described in more detail withreference to the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tile according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an associated coupling member,

FIG. 3 is a perspective fractional view of a tile seen from below,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the joining area between two tiles,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, seen from above, of the joint between twotiles,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a tile according to the invention,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a tile according to the invention,coupled together partly with a ramp element and partly with modulartiles of smaller sizes,

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a tile edge with marked associations of tilesof different sizes,

FIG. 9 is a top view of a flooring with both `normal tiles` and `smalltiles`, and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a flooring laid out in a sports court.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The tile 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is diecast and has a top layer 4, inwhich, as well known, there is provided holes 6, with the areas betweenthese holes 6 having depending floor supported cylindrical carrierportions 8, and with the tile having correspondingly depending edgewalls 10, In these walls a number of slots 12 and provided in a uniformmanner along each of the edges, walls 10, with these slots 12 beingdownwardly open and extending only over a lower part of the height ofthe edge wall 10.

Behind each of the slots 12 there is arranged, confined by rib portions14 depending from the top side 4, a downwardly open channel 16 which issomewhat broader than the slot 12 and extends upwardly beyond the upperend of the slot 12.

To the tiles belong coupling members 18 as shown in FIG. 2, with thecoupling members 18 being adapted to be brought into engagement with theinner side of the edge wall 10 behind the slot 12 in a manner such thatthe coupling member can hold together two adjoining tiles 2. Thecoupling members 18 have a middle beam portion 20, the length of whichis approximately twice the thickness of the edge wall adjacent the slots12, and opposed, wider head portions 22, which are both broader andupwardly higher than the beam portion 20. These head portions 22 areprovided with interfacing parallel inner sides 24, while at their upperends they are preferably shaped in a slightly tapered manner.

As clearly apparent from FIG. 5 the head portions 22 are dimensionedrelative to the channels 16 such that, when they are introduced frombelow into the channels 16, they will be held in the channels 16 byclamping action, first of all in being clamped against a channel wall 26located behind the rear of the slot 12. This implies that a couplingmember 18 mounted in only a single tile will be held in a position, inwhich it will project, in a well defined manner, just so far as to besuited for engaging a neighboring tile, which can be mounted simply bylowering of a slot area 12 over the projecting part of the couplingmember 18. Preferably use is also made of a snap locking, for whichpurpose the channels 16 are provided with rib portions 23, FIGS. 3 and4, which may cooperate with holding grooves 25 in the head portions 22.

This self holding engagement is conditional for the tiles beingpremounted with projecting coupling members 18, see FIG. 6, such that itis easily possible to couple similar neighboring tiles to the respectivetile edges, viz. by a simple lowering of the new tiles 2 over theprojecting coupling members 18, whereby a coherent flooring will be easyto establish.

A further holding of the coupling part is achievable when the surfacethereof is provided with groove or rib portions which may cooperatelockingly with complementary rib or groove portions inside the channels16. This type of holding or locking means is advantageously arrangednear the upper ends of the freely upstanding end portions of the headportions 22, as indicated by ribs 23 in FIG. 3 and grooves 25 in FIG. 2.For the same reason it will be suitable that both the head portions 22and the channels 16 are designed so as to engage each other all overtheir cross section, whether this being rectangular or rounded.

It will be appreciated that the coupling members 18 with their broadhead portions 22 will provide a connection which is considerablystronger than if the beam portion 20 was just a projecting integral partof the tile edge.

There can be used any desired number of joining places along each tileedge, even different numbers in the respective two main directions assuggested in FIG. 6. Thus, this may apply e.g. to foot path floorings,where the tiles may be subjected to forces that are higher in thelongitudinal direction than in the transverse direction.

It will apply generally that an occurring break of the joint between twotile edges may be repaired solely by a removing of the broken couplingmembers 18, this being a lot less expensive than a replacing of therelevant tiles themselves.

Thus, in connection with the invention the tiles will be both easier tolay out and much less expensive to repair, should breaks occur, as alsothe tiles will be more resistant against breakage in the joining areas.

These areas may be arranged in such a manner, e.g. symmetrically aboutthe middle of each tile edge, such that the tiles 2 may be coupledtogether alternatively directly edge to edge or with a desired bondbetween only partly overlapping tile sides.

The coupling members 18 may be dimensioned otherwise as shown, e.g. withan increased width relative to their height, and the tiles 2 may bedesigned with reinforced edge portions at the relevant areas ofengagement. According to the invention, however, it is important toadapt the dimensionings in a manner such that, in case of strongbreaking forces, a possible break will occur in the coupling members andnot in the associated parts of the tiles 2. The coupling members 18could well be designed so heavily, e.g. with a large width of the beamportion 20 and a small extra width of the head portion 22.

As shown in FIG. 7, a tile 2 can be coupled to a ramp element 30 and itmay further be coupled to a plurality of `small tiles` 32 taking up acertain modular part of a side length of the tile 2. Each of these smalltiles may be provided with just the same holding means for the couplingmembers 18 as the tile 2 itself such that they may be connected bothmutually and with adjoining tiles 2.

These small tiles 32 will be immediately suited for being laid asstraightlined `lines` in a flooring having normal tiles 2 placed at bothsides of such a line, e.g. if the small tiles are made with a clearlydeviating surface or color.

The achievable marking effect, however, is not limited to such straightlines, as the small tiles 32 or many of them may appear with the samesurface and color character as the tiles 2, while in the flooring itwill be possible, then, to use single and deviating small tiles, whichmay be placed in any desired pattern among the other small tiles, i.e.also with a broken or arched configuration amog these other tiles.

At the top of FIG. 8 there is shown some tiles 2 seen against an edgethereof, and underneath there is indicated a `large tile` 2' and two`small tiles` 32 coupled to that edge. The tile 2' is placed in bondwith the upper tiles 2, e.g. with coupling members 18 mounted at theslots 12a and 12b. Should a coupling member 18 be mounted next to acorner of the tile 2', as in slot 12c, this particular coupling member18 should be removed. In connection with the invention, however, it hasbeen considered that it may perhaps be found inconvenient to have toremove such surplus coupling members, inter alia because they might bedesired at the same place later on and, for that reason, the tiles, seealso FIGS. 1 and 7, may be shaped with corner recesses 34 underneath theupper stepping side, such that coupling members 18 happening to belocated adjacent a tile corner may be received in the adjoining cornerrecesses, though without any holding effect on these tiles.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the use of the possibility of a `written`marking by small tiles 32', the color of which deviates from the colorused generally in the flooring, i.e, for both the large and other smalltiles. It is shown that there may be provided for a medium sized tilecorresponding to a number of small tiles. As indicated at 36, the tiles,generally, may be designed with a surface pattern corresponding to theshape of the small tiles or even to a pattern appearing on the smalltiles, whereby the large tile faces will not reveal themselves visuallyin any other manner than the face areas built from color wisecorresponding small tiles.

At certain places it may be desirable to improve the non-skid abilitiesof the tiles, and as shown this can be done as indicated in FIG. 3 bymounting of friction buttons 44 in some of the cylindrical carrierportions 8, e.g. only a single button at each tile corner.

In FIG. 10 is indicated a sports court, in which there is providedmarking lines with the use of small tiles 32, or of medium size tileswith the module 1×5 small tiles, or by using the marking buttons 40,42.

I claim:
 1. A floor covering system including a plurality of tiles coupled together to form a floor covering, wherein each of the tiles includes edge areas extending completely around the respective tiles and including a plurality of downwardly open channels disposed behind vertically extending edge walls of the tiles, a plurality of coupling members with each coupling member having a pair of head portions respectively inserted into one of the plurality of channels of adjacent tiles, a middle portion projecting outwardly through an upwardly closed and downwardly open vertical slot in each of the edge walls of the adjacent tiles, a width in a horizontal direction of the middle portion less than a height of the middle portion and less than a width of each of the pair of head portions in a horizontal direction, the open slot having a height greater than a width thereof, and the height of the middle portion extending vertically in the open slot.
 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of the head portions of the coupling members and said channels are provided with means for enabling a releasable retention of the respective coupling members.
 3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said means for enabling a releasable retention includes complementary ribs and grooves provided on said head portions and said channel means.
 4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the coupling members are premounted along two adjacent sides of the respective tiles.
 5. A system according to claim 1, wherein interfacing sides of two opposed head portions on the respective coupling members are arranged in parallel with one another for cooperation with correspondingly planar rearwardly facing edge wall portion at both sides of each of the downwardly open slots.
 6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the head portions of the coupling members are higher than the middle portion, and wherein the slots are only as high as the middle portion.
 7. A system according to claim 1, wherein coupling areas at the vertical slots are located with a modular spacing such that the respective tiles are couplable bondwise, and wherein tile corners of the respective tiles are provided with recess for a non-retention reception of coupling members which may occur on the adjoining tiles.
 8. A system according to claim 1, wherein groups of the tiles have a top surface area of different sizes but the tiles of the groups are connected to each other with the coupling members.
 9. A system according to claim 8, wherein a first portion of the groups of tiles which have a smaller surface area have the same color as remaining tiles with a larger surface area while a second portion of the groups with the smaller surface area has a different color.
 10. A system according to claim 7, wherein a top side of the respective tiles is perforated, and the system further comprises marking buttons engaging selected perforations in a top side of the respective tiles.
 11. A system according to claim 8, wherein the tiles are of different colors so as to enable a predetermined pattern to be formed in the flooring. 